Reupholstering a Footrest

Reupholstering a footrest generally takes less effort than reupholstering a chair.

A footrest, whether it's attached to a recliner or freestanding as a footstool, is subject to a lot of wear and tear over the years. As such, the fabric may wear out in some places, making the piece unsightly. Rather than discarding it or hiding it, recover it with a new piece of upholstery fabric. The technique is essentially the same whether dealing with a recliner or freestanding stool. Using a quality upholstery fabric, rather than fabric made for clothing, ensures your work will last for years to come.

1

Flip the footrest over. If working with a recliner's footrest, open the footrest completely, then flip the recliner over onto its armrests, enlisting the help of a friend. Remove the footrest from the metal extenders on a recliner by using a Phillips screwdriver or an adjustable wrench, depending on what was used to secure the footrest in place. Set the footrest pad face down.

2

Stretch out a piece of fresh upholstery fabric face down on the work surface next to the footrest. Smooth batting out over the fabric.

3

Set the footrest or footrest pad atop the batting, face down. If the legs unscrew from a stool-style footrest, turn them counterclockwise to remove them. Otherwise, work around them. Press down on the footrest while lifting one side of the fabric up over its respective edge, followed by the opposite side. Pressing down keeps the fabric taut, resulting in a nicer end result. Staple the fabric along the edge of the board frame every inch or two. Trim excess fabric from the bottom of the board with scissors, cutting in a straight line near the staples.

4

Pull up the third and fourth sides of the fabric, tucking corners neatly as if wrapping a package. Staple the fabric to the backing board along each edge, every inch or two, while holding the fabric taut. Trim excess fabric with scissors.

5

Reattach the legs on the footrest, if they've been removed, or reassemble the footrest onto the recliner. Set the footrest or recliner upright.

Things You Will Need

Phillips screwdriver or adjustable wrench

Upholstery fabric large enough to wrap the footrest

Batting

Staple gun

Scissors

Tip

If reupholstering only the footstool portion of a recliner, it may not be possible to obtain an exact match of the fabric. Opt for something that looks close or that complements the original, such as a tan floral print for a tan recliner.

Since a footrest has less inner material than an ottoman or chair seat, upholstery foam is generally not required.

If the old fabric and filler material are in horrible shape, it can all be replaced after completely gutting the footstool. Reupholstering in this manner is exactly the same, except the old material must first be torn from the base by popping out all the staples with a flathead screwdriver. Use the old fabric as a template, and a fresh piece of upholstery foam of the original foam's approximate thickness. Foam glue holds the foam to the backing board; all remaining upholstery techniques are the same as upholstering over the old material.

Warning

Wear eye protection when working with a staple gun to avoid potential injury.

About the Author

Kathy Adams won several investigative journalism awards from the Associated Press. Adams has ghostwritten several books and content for A-list musicians' websites. She is equally at home repurposing furniture and found objects into art as she is managing bands and community gardening efforts, running non-profit organizations and writing about healthy alternatives to household chemicals.